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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28040757">The Future Burns (Slow)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoschameleon/pseuds/chaoschameleon'>chaoschameleon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Death(s), Dark Magic, F/M, Fluff, Gang Leader Sirius Black, Gang Leader Tom Riddle, Inspired by West Side Story, M/M, Not Beta Read, Romance, Tom’s a himbo, descriptions of violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:33:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,344</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28040757</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoschameleon/pseuds/chaoschameleon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Potter is a member of the Marauders—one of the most influential crime organizations in wizarding Britain—with his godfather, Sirius, being the leader. </p>
<p>The Death Eaters—the Marauders’ rivals—are led by the fearsome Voldemort. The man is said to be cruel and dangerous, having no mercy towards his enemies.</p>
<p>When Harry and Voldemort meet, sparks fly and the two struggle to be together amidst their respective gangs’ ongoing rivalry.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>Or: West Side Story, but Tomarry</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>148</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Something’s Coming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I had wanted to do a West Side Story-esque Tomarry fic for a while now, so I’m glad I finally got around to it. A few parts/details of the original story are going to be changed to make more sense, so please bear with me lol. </p>
<p>Also, the title of the fic is from the song “A A” by The Neighbourhood Watch.</p>
<p>I hope you like it, and feedback is always appreciated :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bright flashes of light illuminated the streets of Knockturn Alley as wizards and witches alike fought ruthlessly against each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Marauders and the Death Eaters had been involved in yet another scrimmage when members of the rival gangs had encountered each other during an illegal potions exchange. The two groups had been the most prominent underground criminal organizations in wizarding Britain, both competing to gain more influence and power. The contention between the two quickly developed into an on sight rivalry, which caused many heated battles such as the one currently taking place in the alley.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bellatrix Lestrange’s shrill squeal rang clearly through the sound of various hexes being launched from all directions as her curse met its intended mark—the leader of the Marauders, Sirius Black.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The curse had torn a deep gash through Sirius’s arm, causing him to drop his wand in pain. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bellatrix approached him with a maniacal grin on her face, looking as if she were a predator stalking towards her prey. “Hello, dear cousin,” she said, voice high in glee. “The Dark Lord will be so </span>
  <em>
    <span>pleased</span>
  </em>
  <span> to hear that I, his most faithful servant, have captured the leader of the pathetic Marauders.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The dark haired woman almost looked aroused when speaking of her superior, what with the poisonous glint in her eyes and the way her breath came out in pants. It made Sirius’s stomach turn in disgust at the poor excuse of a woman standing before him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get away from me you </span>
  <em>
    <span>wretch</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Sirius growled out as he subtly grabbed hold of his wand, still wincing in pain, but with a determined and fearless look in his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman ignored him, grin widening as she gripped her wand harder, a stunning spell about to escape her lips. Her actions were halted, however, when a girl with bushy brown hair launched herself in front of Sirius, sending a hex at the woman. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bellatrix shrieked in surprise and pain and she fell to the side, allowing Sirius to let his guard down minimally. He turned to the woman who had cursed his cousin, Hermione Granger, who was standing with her wand pointed at Bellatrix’s unconscious form.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had that covered,” Sirius grumbled, but feeling grateful nonetheless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sirius,” Hermione said hurriedly, voice tense, “Shacklebolt is coming. Dean felt the wards collapse. We need to leave </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius’s eyes widened. The Marauders have never been caught by the Aurors before, and they certainly would not be caught now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Marauders, back to HQ </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Sirius called out through a hastily cast sonorous charm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fights between the two gangs slowly ceased as the Marauders heard their leader's message. They quickly sent an array of spells at their opponents as they backed away and disapparated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius’s eyes quickly roved over the scene, both watching his team’s exits and watching out for Head Auror Shacklebolt and his team. Once he was sure that no member of his gang had been left behind, he grabbed ahold of Hermione’s wrist and disapparated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the Marauders took their leave, the Death Eaters themselves realized that the wards placed on Knockturn Alley had been disturbed, disapparating soon after. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fenrir Greyback, one of the Death Eaters’ most questionable members—which was really saying something, given the unstable characteristics of the others—reached Bellatrix, who was still out cold, just as Auror Shacklebolt and his team had gotten through the wards.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Auror Quirrell—a significantly untalented Auror whose foolish decisions often helped both gangs’ antics rather than hinder them—fleetingly fired a disarming spell at Greyback, but somehow managed to miss by several feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The other Aurors had shot spells at Greyback and Lestrange with much more accuracy, but to no avail. Greyback had already conjured a strong shield in the time it took for Quirrell’s spell to hurl towards him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The werewolf smiled threateningly, baring his pointy teeth. “It’s a shame we couldn’t have had more time together. You do look delectable,” he said to the Aurors advancing towards him, desperately trying to break the shield that separated them. “Until next time.” And with that, Greyback sent the Aurors one last menacing grin, disapparating with Bellatrix in his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the pair had disappeared, Kingsley let out a curse—a rarity for a man like him. He quickly rounded on Quirrell, his tall stature looking over the latter intimidatingly. “Your wayward stunner cost us the capture of one of the Death Eaters,” he spoke in a low voice, clearly seething. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While he was usually a calm and amiable man, his patience ran thin with Quirrell. He and his team had been working tirelessly to stop the havoc both the Marauders and Death Eaters had been wreaking. Being so close to capturing some of the gangs’ members, but having the opportunity slip through his fingers was undoubtedly frustrating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“S-s-sir,” Quirrell stuttered out, as was characteristic of him, “I d-didn’t th-think I would m-m-miss.” The Auror was visibly shaking at the sight of his infuriated superior. “I’m t-terribly sorry,” he added in a desperate attempt to assuage the man before him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kingsley merely glowered at Quirrell, effectively silencing him other than the whimpers that came from the other’s mouth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed as he ordered the man to go back to the Auror headquarters. He had done enough damage for one day. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Next time</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Kingsley thought to himself as he and the rest of his team began the process of examining the scene before them, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Next time I’ll catch them</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Back at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Harry was passing the time as he awaited his godfather’s return by placing Wizard’s Chess with one of his best friends, Ron. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Although Harry had told his Sirius that he had wanted to go to the potions exchange with him, he was vehemently denied. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry loved his godfather dearly, but Sirius had the irritating habit of trying to keep him out of the Marauders' dangerous activities as much as possible. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was a full blown wizard, for Merlin’s sake. He was perfectly capable of defending himself as well as those around him. Sirius knew Harry was very magically powerful, but he hated to risk harming his godson. While Harry was immensely appreciative that he had someone who cared about him so much, Sirius’s overprotective nature was irritating at times.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry just wanted more action in his life. He was getting tired of mainly being cooped up and unable to partake in the gang’s most interesting action.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As his mind wandered to these thoughts he was just about to move his knight to E5 on the chessboard, when the unmistakable sounds of the Marauders returning met his and Ron’s ears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The chess game abandoned, the two raced to the front hall of the headquarters. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The members who had accompanied Sirius on the potions exchange had all been scraped in some way or another, but none of them looked seriously injured, which was a relief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The Death Eaters?” Harry asked Seamus, who was one of the first to come through the door. He knew the answer already, but wanted confirmation regardless. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seamus simply nodded with a grimace as he made his way further inside the house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ron followed the others to inquire about what exactly happened, although this sort of thing happened far too often for anyone to be surprised.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hermione and Sirius came into the house last. Hermione pulled Harry into a one-armed hug and pressed a kiss to his cheek, offering him a small smile before she moved to join the others.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sirius,” Harry said, about to embrace his godfather before his eyes trailed to the other man’s bleeding arm. “You’re wounded.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He quickly grabbed hold of Sirius’s arm, careful not to put pressure on the gash. “Who did this?” he asked, looking up at the other in concern.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My darling cousin Bella,” Sirius responded sarcastically. “But it’s really nothing you need to fret over, pup. Your godfather’s got everything under control.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius’s reassuring smile didn’t work on Harry, though, as the latter glared at him and led him to a chair to examine his wound. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry was silent for a moment as he went about gathering healing potions, deep in thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should have let me come with you,” he mumbled, applying potions to the gash and ignoring Sirius’s winces at the sting of them. “I could have helped you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Harry-“ the animagus started.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>I’m strong,” the raven continued as if Sirius had not spoken. “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>I can take care of myself, yet you insist I stay out of the Marauders’ action most of the time.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry wasn’t angry, per se. Not really. He was just upset that Sirius had gotten hurt when he could’ve been there to aid him. The injury wasn’t life-threatening, but what if it was next time? Or the time after that? Harry couldn’t bear to lose another family member or someone close to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius sighed deeply. “Pup, I do know those things. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he repeated upon seeing Harry’s doubtful expression. “But I don’t want you to be the one on the other end of a curse that could take your life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you think I want that to happen to </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Harry rebutted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius had to smile slightly at this. His godson had always been quick with a counter. A true Gryffindor, that one. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have a point,” he conceded. “I’ll tell you what. You can come with us more often on </span>
  <em>
    <span>one condition</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” His expression turned serious at this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And that is?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> find yourself biting off more than you can chew, you are to retreat as soon as possible.” The look in Sirius’s eyes showed that he meant business. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry wanted to say that such a thing wouldn’t happen to him, that he was more than capable of dealing with opponents, but he bit his tongue. He knew his godfather’s intentions were only to protect him and make sure he was safe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a deal,” Harry agreed with a grin as he finished bandaging Sirius’s arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius beamed back at him, proud of the man before him.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>A week later, Sirius had gotten word that a ball was to be hosted by Igor Karkaroff, who was a known master at crafting dangerous and cursed artefacts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hundreds of dark wizards and witches had been invited, including the Marauders and Death Eaters. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While that would prove to be nothing but trouble in any other situation, it was an unspoken rule that there was to be peace between all groups of dark wizards at prestigious events such as this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was the night of the ball and Harry was getting ready with Ron and Hermione. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry was dressed in dark green dress robes that brought out the colors of his eyes. They had been chosen by Hermione for that reason, who had said that it would make Ginny swoon at the sight of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ginny, Ron’s little sister, was Harry’s fiancé to be. Harry had had romantic feelings towards the youngest Weasley initially, but as time went by he realized what he felt towards her was more like brotherly love. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t want to disappoint Sirius, though, who had been excited when thinking of their future together. It made sense, after all, that those two would become a couple. Harry only hoped that his platonic feelings towards Ginny were just a phase and that he would snap out of it soon enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he looked over his appearance in the mirror. He was excited for the ball, having never been to one of them before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was also feeling anticipation towards seeing the legend that was Voldemort—the leader of the Death Eaters.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man was only spoken of in whispers amongst the wizarding community, and in reverence by his followers. Harry knew that he was ruthless and ruled with an iron fist, and that his symbol branded on his followers’ forearms—the Dark Mark—sparked terror. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>This should be an exciting night</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Harry thought as he apparated to the party with his friends.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Voldemort had one mission for his time at the ball: Finally meet Sirius Black’s elusive godson whose magic had been spoken of in wonder by his Death Eaters.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It would be an exciting night indeed.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Night We Met</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I had originally made an outline for this fic, but then I kind of ditched it? So I’m thinking that there might be a chapter or two more than the four I had originally planned out, but we’ll see 👀</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Karkaroff estate was decorated lavishly, with extravagant water features, topiaires, and twinkling fairies adorning the entrance of the manor. Harry looked around in amazement at the beauty of his surroundings. If this is what the place looked on the outside, it would definitely be absolutely gorgeous on the inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Marauders attended the ball as a group, with Harry, his godfather, and his friends at the forefront.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry slipped an arm around Ginny’s waist instinctively as the group entered the manor. Although he didn’t have any romantic feelings towards the girl, she was his date and he didn’t want to disappoint those around him. He usually found it was easier to keep up appearances rather than face questions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ginny smiled up at Harry as they began to descend the grandiose set of stairs that led down to the ballroom, a look of pure adoration on her face. It sent a pang of guilt through the latter when he saw it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They weren’t even properly together, so to speak. It was more of an… agreement that had been vaguely settled on that they should be together. They weren’t engaged yet because they had still been relatively young when they started whatever this thing was, but they both knew it would have to happen soon. The thought made Harry more nervous than he ever dared to say aloud. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The raven haired man cleared his throat and quickly looked away from Ginny’s heated gaze, both because he was growing slightly uncomfortable from it and because he’d rather not make a fool of himself by falling down the stairs—as grand of an entrance that would be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The interior of the manor was as beautiful and mesmerizing as Harry had imagined it would be. The high ceiling was covered with expensive looking chandeliers which set the mood for the party effectively. The color scheme was a tasteful combination of deep maroon, sage, and ivory, with touches of gold. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the far side of the ballroom was a large table filled with a variety of foods, as well as a bar. Servers also flitted through the guests with trays of hors d’œuvres and drinks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Each and every one of the partygoers was dressed to the nines, with refined dress robes and expensive jewelry. They almost looked like aristocratic politicians rather than the cold-blooded criminals Harry knew them to be. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I’ll go get us some drinks,” he said, letting go of Ginny’s waist. He was starting to feel a little nervousness kick in as he observed those around him. He was no stranger to this kind of company, but he was never a fan of large crowds such as this.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Keep your guard up, Harry,” Sirius said softly in his ear as he narrowed his eyes at the array of dubious guests gathered at the party. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry had the urge to roll his eyes at this, but decided against it with the knowledge that his godfather was just being protective over him. “I will,” he promised with a reassuring smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he made his way through the crowd he silently observed the people around him, recognizing quite a few of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was Viktor Krum, an associate of Karkaroff’s, who was standing near one of the walls with a surly expression on his face. In the corner Harry recognized Dolores Umbridge, her toad-like face pulled taut in a sickly sweet smile as she observed the other guests. Harry looked away with a grimace, hoping to never speak to that disgusting magical creature taxidermist ever again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He continued to walk past several groups of people, mentally cataloguing who was attending the ball. He had yet to encounter any one of the Death Eaters so far. It seemed as if they hadn’t shown up yet. Harry did want to catch a glimpse of Voldemort, but at least the Marauders could have a momentary reprieve from his gang’s disparagement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once he had reached the bar, Harry grabbed several alcoholic beverages to bring back to his group. He knew that the buzz would help to ebb the nervousness away and allow him to relax a bit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taking a swig of his drink, he made his way back to his friends and handed out the beverages. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed Ron had already gotten a head start on drinking and was starting to get more handsy with Hermione, who couldn’t hide a smile despite her exasperation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry rolled his eyes good-naturedly at his friends, continuing to drink and starting to converse with some acquaintances of his.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As time went by, he snuck several glances at the staircase he had walked down at the beginning, hoping that the Death Eaters and their leader would arrive soon.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>It was nearly an hour before the Marauders’ rival gang finally showed up, each member impeccably dressed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Upon seeing them, the Marauders scowled and mumbled words of contempt, shooting glares their way. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rivalry between the two gangs was well known throughout the criminal underground, but everyone knew that they could not act on it, however much they wanted to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The atmosphere seemed to reek with tension as several conversations slowly quieted—knowing that while a duel would not break out, the mood would still be on edge around the two groups.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry took no notice of this, however; seemingly too occupied with scanning which of the Death Eaters had appeared to worry about the apprehension permeating the air. Once he had taken note of those in their group who had shown up, he frowned in disappointment. It seemed Voldemort had not come with his followers, although Harry had heard news from several people that he would show up. Perhaps he would arrive later?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry was abruptly broken away from his thoughts as Ginny grabbed him by the arm, requesting a dance with him. Forcing a smile on his face, he agreed and let the ginger haired girl pull him onto the dance floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The dance did have the effect of distracting Harry from his thoughts of the feared leader of the Death Eaters, but his heart also wasn’t really in it. It just didn’t feel right when he was with her. Something just seemed to be missing, but exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was Harry couldn’t tell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ginny didn’t show any sign of perceiving his thoughts, thankfully, as the pair continued to spin in slow circles around the dance floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What Harry didn’t notice, however, was the calculating gaze zoning in on him from the other side of the room.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>After his dance with Ginny, Harry had made his way back to his friends. Together they laughed and chatted away, enjoying the liveliness of the party. Harry almost forgot about Voldemort, instead spending his time dancing with his friends and trying out the different pastries that floated by him periodically. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As the night progressed, Harry’s energy started to wear down. The band was currently playing a slow song, and his friends were all off on their own. Hermione and Ron were on the dance floor together, Ginny had gone to the bathroom, and… Harry glanced over at the bar to see that Sirius was definitely tipsy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook his head in fond exasperation and decided to make his way over there to make sure his godfather didn’t end up getting blackout drunk in the middle of the ballroom, which would be dangerous considering the people they were surrounded by. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was nearly to the bar when a man whose name he didn’t know wasn’t looking where he was going as he twirled around elaborately on the dance floor. Harry was too late to dodge out of the way as the man careened into him. All he could think was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> as he made his descent towards the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he was able to embarrassingly smack into the floor, though, he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist, holding him in something similar to a bridal dip. The only thing he could do was place his hands on his savior’s broad shoulders to steady himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he looked up to see the stranger who had caught him, his eyes were met with the face of the most attractive man he had seen in a while.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man before him had deep burgundy eyes and dark brunette hair that was perfectly styled. His dark dress robes accentuated his chiseled features in a way that made Harry’s breath hitch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry could sense the extremely powerful magical aura that surrounded him almost immediately. He screamed </span>
  <em>
    <span>danger</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Alarm bells were ringing through Harry’s head, but all he could seem to do was gape up at the man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After staring at each other for what seemed like ages—the stranger’s lips quirked up in a smirk, and Harry’s open in surprise—he finally managed to squeak out a few words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Th-thanks,” he said, feeling heat rise to his cheeks as neither one of them made any move to get themselves back to an upright position. “For catching me,” he added, mentally cursing the obviousness of the statement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man simply raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “You’re quite welcome,” he said, finally letting Harry up, much to the latter’s relief. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry put some space between them, carefully extracting himself from the man’s grip, which was still on his waist. He was starting to feel rather unnerved by the look that was in the other’s eyes. He looked almost… predatory. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry gave the dark brunette a small smile, turning to go find Sirius, before he was stopped by the man’s hand on his wrist as he spoke again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s your name, doll?” he asked, eyes roving over Harry’s figure in a way that made the raven haired man nervous.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry hesitated for a moment before answering. “Harry,” he said slowly, suspiciously. He was taught to not give his full name to those he deemed untrustworthy, and he was certainly weary of this stranger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Harry,” the man said thoughtfully, tasting the name on his lips. “My name is Tom Riddle,” he said, an eager glint in his eyes as he observed Harry’s reaction carefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Riddle</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place where he had heard it before. “It was nice to meet you Mr. Riddle, and er… thanks again for catching me, but I should really get back to my friends now,” he said as he made a move to turn around again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle’s voice broke through once more, causing Harry to wince slightly as he was forced to halt again. “Please, call me Tom,” he said. “And I think your friends wouldn’t mind if you were to accompany me for a dance.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At Harry’s visible hesitation, he added, “Just one dance. I promise I don’t bite.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry almost snorted. He highly doubted that, but with great reluctance, he nodded. He didn’t think Riddle was going to let him go no matter what he said anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wonderful,” Riddle said, looking delighted as he led Harry by the waist to the dance floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have to warn you, I’m not the greatest dancer,” the Gryffindor said with a nervous laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “No matter. I think I’m good enough for the both of us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So egotistical. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t have time to dwell on it, though, as Riddle guided his hands to the proper positions—one on the other’s shoulder, and the other grasped in Riddle’s own—and began to sway to the beat of the music. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was skilled at this, Harry would give him that, but he still radiated trouble.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry could feel Riddle’s magic surround him and brush up against his sides in the most intoxicating way. The other’s magic was as dark as his own was light. He was loathe to admit it, but their combined power almost seemed to complement each other perfectly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Who </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> this man?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed that Riddle could sense the power emanating from the pair of them as well, if the barely concealed hunger in his eyes was anything to go by. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re gorgeous,” he said in that deep tenor of his, moving his hand impossibly closer to Harry’s arse. “Who are you, darling?” he added after a moment, in a voice so quiet Harry had to strain his ears to hear it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry looked away from Riddle’s burning stare, not answering under the guise of trying not to tread over the man’s toes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t even know this mysterious man, yet he was still indulging him for some unknown reason. They were at a ball full of criminals, for Merlin’s sake. Riddle could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I could ask you the same thing,” he responded, stiffening in Riddle’s arms as his mind raced with ideas of what exactly had warranted his invitation to the manor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle let out a low chuckle. “Oh, sweetheart,” he said, red eyes darkening dangerously. Harry didn’t like the way his voice took a pitying tone as those words were spoken. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I am Lord Voldemort</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry only had a moment to freeze in shock at that proclamation before—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>HARRY</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” his godfather called out, storming towards the pair through the crowd.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry moved away from Riddle as if his touch burned and moved to stand next to his godfather, staring at the man with a haunted expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Riddle,” Sirius growled out. He looked menacing—teeth bared in a snarl, wand held ready to fight at any given moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Although the man was still drunk from earlier, the sight of his most dangerous rival seemed to propel him into full alertness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Black,” Riddle responded with a faux polite smile and a slight tip of his chin in acknowledgment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius poked the tip of his wand into the other man’s sternum, looking about ready to tear the man to shreads—title of the most feared wizard in Britain be damned. “Stay away from Harry,” he snarled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A look of realization quickly spread across Riddle’s face as his eyes moved back to where Harry was standing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re Sirius Black’s godson,” Riddle said with a grin that made Harry’s stomach flip. There was a hint of triumph in his tone. “You’re Harry Potter.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Gryffindor had snapped out of his stupor at this point and was matching his godfather’s ferocity with a sharp glare. “Brilliant,” he remarked dryly, his grip tightening on his wand where it was held in the pocket of his robes. “Would you like a reward for your findings?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His sarcasm only seemed to please the taller man even more. He was about to speak again when Sirius cut him off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re leaving,” the animagus said and placed his hand on Harry’s back, quickly ushering him towards the apparition point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry couldn’t help but look over his shoulder at Riddle, who was still standing in the middle of the dance floor looking like a Hippogriff who had been presented with a pile of the finest meats. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I will see you soon, darling,” the dark lord promised darkly upon seeing the other’s eyes trained on him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last thing Harry saw before apparating away was those deep red eyes boring into him, promising him that this wouldn’t be the end of their story.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It made his skin crawl in anticipation.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>There wasn’t as much Tom/Harry action in this chapter, but I promise there will be more in the next one ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Follow You? I Wouldn’t Dare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was supposed to be finished a while ago, but then college application stress took over my life for a while, but I finally managed to complete this chapter!</p>
<p>Also, this fic is turning out to be a lot more plot-y (?) than I had originally planned it to be, so just expect there to be more than 4 chapters bc I’m an unorganized mess lol</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The moment Harry arrived with Sirius back at Grimmauld Place, the latter rounded on him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did he do to you? Did he harm you at all? I’m going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Harry, I swear,” Sirius shot out as he gripped Harry roughly and ran his eyes over him in a search for any signs of damage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sirius,” Harry interrupted hastily, gently pushing the other’s hands off of him. “I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While it was true that Riddle hadn’t harmed him, he still felt something ominous settle in the pit of his stomach in the aftermath of their encounter. But Sirius didn’t need to know that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the man’s dubious look, Harry led him into the living room and sat him down on the sofa. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What was he doing then?” Sirius questioned in a gruff voice, staring at his godson intently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry was silent for a moment as he chose his words carefully. “He… wanted to dance with me,” he said simply. He didn’t think Sirius would take well to hearing about the way their magical auras wound themselves together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clearing his throat, he moved away to get a glass of water and handed it to the man. Although Sirius didn’t look as murderous as he did when face to face with Riddle, rage was clearly bubbling up inside of him. Harry hoped that the water would help to calm his godfather down somewhat and sober him up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t trust him Harry,” Sirius said immediately, ignoring the glass of water in his hand. “He’s a manipulative, insane, cruel, bastard.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry had opened his mouth to respond before Sirius continued on with his angry rambling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s a reason he has the reputation he does now. He’s a fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>psychopath</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Even though he’s rarely seen out with his minions, he commands the Death Eaters from the shadows. Voldemort is dangerous and incredibly powerful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry already knew this, of course, but he also knew better than to interrupt Sirius when he was like this. Eyes ablaze, fists clenched tightly, knuckles white.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That man will do anything to get what he wants. He’s trying to use you to get to me. He can try to destroy me all he wants, but I will </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> allow him to hurt you.” Sirius was looking at Harry with ferocity and determination he had never seen before. “I would </span>
  <em>
    <span>die </span>
  </em>
  <span>before I would allow him to cause you any harm,” he promised darkly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry felt a rush of affection towards the man before him at these words. His godfather would do anything to protect him, even die. While Harry would never let that happen, he was still moved. Although he had been liberated from the Dursleys’ cruelty for years now, the lengths his friends would go for him still amazed him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry gave Sirius a small smile. “I know, Sirius. I’ll stay away from him. I won’t let him cause us, or anyone else, harm,” he promised.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius’s ire was quelled slightly at Harry’s words. “I know you’re just as powerful as him, if not more, but just please promise me you’ll be careful,” he added as a last thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I promise I’ll stay safe Sirius,” the Gryffindor responded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The long haired man appraised him for a minute before pulling him into a tight embrace. “I love you, pup,” he said quietly in his ear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you too Sirius.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Later that night when Harry was tucked in bed, thoughts of the night's events raced through his mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How could he not have realized that the man he was dancing with was none other than Lord Voldemort? He knew he had heard the name ‘Tom Riddle’ somewhere, but Voldemort was never addressed by it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry sighed and rolled over to the side. Of course he just </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to dance with The Marauders’ most powerful enemy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I won’t go near him again</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he promised himself, disregarding the last words Riddle spoke to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As sleep slowly took over his body, a hint of some powerful, unknown magic hummed within him.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Three days had passed since the Karkaroff ball and Harry had yet to hear from Voldemort again. This didn’t stop Harry from consistently keeping his guard up, though. Not that he didn’t already. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew that Riddle was not going to leave him alone after that night. Not when his adversary’s godson held magic that rivaled his own. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As hard as he tried to, Harry just couldn’t get the image of those cold red eyes and that cruel smirk out of his mind. They seemed to follow him everywhere he went and periodically sent chills up his spine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It came as a relief when Harry visited Luna in Ottery St. Catchpole for their weekly catch up over tea. While the Lovegoods were occasional supporters of the Marauders’ activities, they weren’t directly involved with the gang. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry always looked forward to his meetings with Luna because they provided an escape from the gang life. While he did enjoy the thrill of it, it was nice to get away from it from time to time. This proved to be especially true now that he had Riddle to worry about. During the time Harry spent talking with Luna, he was actually able to push the man to the back of his mind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was just before supper time when Harry said his goodbyes and left the Lovegood property. He had to walk quite a bit to reach the apparition point, but he didn’t mind because he liked having some time to himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was about five minutes out from his destination when the magical traces around him began to shift and change into something sinister. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Whipping his wand out from his front pocket, he gasped as he felt something strange blossoming within him. It seemed to have a strong pull towards something out of sight. Tugging relentlessly on him, as if it were reaching out to its master and beckoning them forwards. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry panted as he turned around in a circle trying to locate the source of this sudden surge of powerful magic. It was incredibly dark and enchanting and… strangely familiar. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry’s eyes widened with a start as a realization came to the forefront of his mind. There was only one person whose magical trace aligned with that of the one surrounding him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He only had a moment to compose and ready himself before he heard the loud crack of someone apparating. It was at that moment that the spellbinding aura began to subside, clearly having served its purpose for the moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry gripped his wand tighter as he hurled a spell at the man who appeared before him, not even waiting for the other to speak. He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> going down so easily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His spell didn’t have the chance to hit its mark, though, as the crimson eyed man cast a strong shield without a moment’s hesitation. Despite this, Harry continued to shoot a variety of hexes at Riddle, but to no avail.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle’s deep laugh resounded over the sounds of Harry’s spells hitting his shield. “Oh, darling, aren’t you happy to see me?” he said amused, not at all bothered by the fiery hatred in the other’s eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you bastard!” Harry cried. As he spoke, he began to subtly creep towards the apparition point, hoping to get away from the dark lord as soon as possible. He knew Riddle would drop the shield soon and fight back, but he wanted to get a head start. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another laugh met Harry’s ears as Riddle waved his hand carelessly. Harry immediately felt that same persistent swell of magic halt him in his tracks, drawing its way back to its source. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What-“ Harry grunted out, trying desperately to plant his feet as he was slowly pulled towards Riddle. “What the hell did you do to me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle smirked when Harry was frozen in place a foot or two away from him. “It’s a tracking spell,” he explained. “You were so enamored with our dance that you hadn’t noticed that I placed it upon you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man seemed so proud at what he had done, and Harry wanted nothing more than to hex him silly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The magic I placed inside you lets me know where you are so that I can find you easily when I call upon it,” Riddle continued. “It also allows me to bring you closer to me when we are in close proximity to each other.” He eyed Harry’s frozen form up and down to emphasize his words, causing the Gryffindor to glare even harder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two men stared at each other in silence as Harry contemplated Riddle’s words. This man was </span>
  <em>
    <span>insane</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Harry experimentally tried to wiggle the fingers holding his wand. To his surprise, he felt a slight shift in them. Whether it was Riddle’s spell was wearing off or his own powerful magic coming through, Harry was close to being free again. He just needed to buy some time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what? You’re going to kill me now?” Harry said sarcastically to keep Riddle talking, carefully maintaining a neutral expression so as not to expose his growing power over the spell. “Or would you rather torture me first, </span>
  <em>
    <span>then</span>
  </em>
  <span> kill me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kill you?” Riddle laughed incredulously. “Oh no, my love. You’re much too precious for that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry’s mouth twitched slightly at the name Riddle had called him, his stomach doing a small flip against his will.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle dropped his shield, approaching Harry’s frozen form and placing a hand upon his cheek. Harry forced himself not to flush at his touch and the look of pure adoration on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You see, my dear Harry, as soon as I set my eyes on you in that ballroom, I could sense it.” There was that hunger in his eyes again. That clear desire, lips curling upwards as he gazed at Harry. “I could feel the power you held instantly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle’s lips brushed against the shell of Harry’s ear, causing the shorter man’s breath to hitch. He could feel the man’s lips curl into a smirk as he whispered, “There’s no one quite like you, doll.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry said nothing for a moment, too captivated by the man’s words and the feel of his magic surrounding him. When Riddle drew away to look at him again, he voiced his curiosity. “What do you want from me, Riddle?” he spat, although his voice didn’t hold as much of the venom as he intended it to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Slytherin’s words confused him as much as they intrigued him. His lust for power was clear, but at the same time Harry couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to it than meets the eye. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His question was met with a gleeful smile. “Harry, I want you by my side,” said Riddle, eyes glinting at the thought. “We could be so </span>
  <em>
    <span>powerful</span>
  </em>
  <span> together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry was once again struck silent. A shameful part of himself deep down wondered at the idea of such a prospect. But still, Voldemort was definitely not to be trusted, and Harry was not about to let this man draw him in, as tempting as it seemed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t have time to dwell on these contradicting thoughts, for shivers began to travel up his spine, reminding him of his growing strength over Riddle’s spell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry experimentally adjusted his arms in such a way that Riddle wouldn’t be able to sense his movements, pleased to find that his magic had done its job and broken free from the man’s hold. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave himself a moment to brace himself for what was to come, before pulling away from Riddle completely and shouting, “Stupefy!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle only allowed himself a millisecond of surprise at the sudden movement before reflecting the spell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Fine. If his Harry insisted on being stubborn, then so be it. He never was one to turn down a good duel, especially with someone of Harry’s caliber. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two continued to fire a plethora of spells at each other. While this wasn’t an ideal situation for Harry to be in, he had to admit that he did love the rush that dueling a powerful wizard gave him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry was quick and light on his feet, able to dodge the hexes shot at him fairly easily. He was also proficient at defense spells, which was a good thing because while Riddle’s defense was slightly under Harry’s level, his attacks contained an immense amount of strength.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry thought that they, ironically, would make a good team.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle, on the other hand, was delighted by their duel. Every spell Harry cast was observed carefully, his magical prowess effectively mesmerizing the Slytherin. The boy before him truly was a wonder. Just meant for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His thoughts apparently bled through onto his expression, for Harry’s eyes widened at the sight of it as they continued to fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What-“ he started, pausing to dodge Riddle’s stunner, “What the hell is your problem Riddle?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle smiled slightly, ignoring Harry’s irate attitude. “I do not wish to harm you, Harry,” ignoring the question and unconcernedly casting a </span>
  <em>
    <span>reducto</span>
  </em>
  <span> at the boulder Harry had fired at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry scoffed. “You say that as if you aren’t currently </span>
  <em>
    <span>attacking me</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Or, I don’t know, trying to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill me</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Honestly, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>nerve </span>
  </em>
  <span>of this man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle sighed. “I already told you my intention is not to kill you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In reality, if Voldemort wanted anybody dead, he would be fighting much harder than he was now. This seemed like a simple Defense Against the Dark Arts duel compared to the real ruthlessness that he could inflict if he so desired. Not to say that Harry wasn’t strong enough to defeat him, but Riddle had yet to unleash his true cruelty, and he wasn’t going to let it come to that anyway. No, he was merely trying to disarm Harry, not harm what he deemed precious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, dear one, it almost seems as if you are enjoying this.” Riddle’s knowing look was illuminated by the spell bouncing off his shield. “You like the thrill of battle, don’t you Harry?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry frowned. Riddle was right, of course. He had missed the rush that duels had always given him, having been sheltered most of the time by Sirius. The feeling of magic coursing through his veins and being powered through his wand was like no other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And being here, fighting against Riddle… He had never experienced anything like it before. Riddle’s magic had been mesmerizing at the party, but experiencing it first hand was something else entirely. The feeling could almost be described as addicting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry didn’t want to admit it, of course, but Riddle had already seen right through him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His grin widened as he spoke again, paying little mind to the spells swirling around them. “You see, Harry, I know you much more than you think I do.” He began to circle around Harry, forcing him to turn to avoid being hit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your dear godfather shelters you too much, doesn’t he?” Riddle’s mouth twitched slightly at the thought of his adversary. “He lets you in on the action occasionally, yes, but you yearn for so much more, don’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry hated how true Riddle’s words were, but they were just that. True.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t matter, though, because he was loyal to the Marauders and Sirius, and Riddle had no business prying into his personal affairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He has good intentions,” Harry argued, although he didn’t know why he was even humoring the other man, “and you have no right to speak on things that have nothing to do with you. You don’t know me, Riddle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gripped his wand harder, the frustration building up as he cast a hex at the Slytherin’s face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle remained unruffled as he casually flicked it away. “That is where you are wrong, darling. I can see the fire in your eyes, the desire to prove yourself. You want to live life on your own terms.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smirked as he saw the expression on the Gryffindor’s face. He could tell Harry was hanging onto his every word, despite not wanting to let them soak in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you remember the ball?” Riddle continued, wanting to keep Harry’s attention lest he cease listening to him. “Do you remember our dance?” he purred, delighting in the slight blush appearing on the raven haired’s cheeks at the thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle didn’t wait for an answer. “Our magic matched so perfectly. Like we were just meant for each other. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>beautiful</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle was approaching Harry now, merely smiling as he watched him back away. His face showed amusement, like that of a parent watching their child do something silly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he reached Harry, he made a soft shushing noise. Ignoring Harry’s half-hearted attempt at attacking him again, he reached out and grabbed the hand that held his wand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you could feel it too,” he said quietly. “You seemed to be so enraptured by it, in fact.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry was frozen—this time because of Riddle’s aura rather than any spell. His lips were slightly parted as he stared up at him silently. The hand on top of his was warm, and Riddle’s eyes trained on him sent heat to his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You really are special, Harry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he spoke, Harry felt the increasingly familiar sensation of their magical auras reaching out to each other, begging to be together. The feeling made Harry weak in the knees.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the same time, Riddle was clearly feeling the effects of their magic as well. He was looking at Harry as if he were the most valued treasure in the world, making Harry’s head spin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was so tempting to let himself succumb to the sensation, but at the same time… Riddle was distracted, and there wouldn’t be another opportunity like this to get away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Drawing on his Seeker reflexes, he abruptly wrenched his hand out of Riddle’s and pointed his wand at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was unfortunate that Riddle was as quick as him, for at the same time he shouted “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Expelliarmus!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”, the man countered with “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Recrepo!”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry gasped as he felt a blast of magic come back at him, golden sparks surrounding his line of sight. It seemed to be drawing on his own power to fight against him—something Harry had never heard of before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fought valiantly against Riddle’s spell, utilizing the full force of his magic and trying not to let the spell overpower him. But with the spell slowly draining his magic to use it against him, he felt himself growing weaker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t hurt him, but Harry had the feeling that it would due to the enormity of its strength if it weren’t for Riddle’s complex wand movements and quick chanting under his breath to keep it under control. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This fight against the unknown spell lasted for a few minutes, but in the end Riddle sent a final burst of power through his wand, effectively drawing the energy out of the other and causing him to collapse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle was by Harry’s side in an instant, despite also being magically exhausted. He took hold of the other’s wand and pocketed it before crouching down next to him. Clear signs of worry disturbed his normally cool disposition as he checked Harry over to make sure he hadn’t overdone it with his spell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry laid there as Riddle’s hands ran over him checking for any signs of damage, too tired to protest just yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He observed the man’s expression carefully—furrowed brows, lips pulled into a frown, concern evident in those dark eyes of his. Harry couldn’t help but snort at the sight. Here was the most feared crime lord in Britain—his </span>
  <em>
    <span>enemy</span>
  </em>
  <span>—stressing over his well being as if he wasn’t the one who had put him in this situation in the first place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man narrowed his eyes at the noise but otherwise ignored it as he finished his examination of Harry. Once he was done, he gently took Harry’s hand and helped him into a sitting position.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ignoring the glare set upon Harry’s face, he began to speak, “Forgive me for that, darling, but I’m afraid I had no other choice since you refused to cooperate and listen to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re barking mad, and definitely not forgiven,” came the muttered response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Harry,” Riddle cooed as if he were speaking to a petulant child. “I told you I do not wish to hurt you, but you insist upon being stubborn when I am merely trying to speak with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You put a fucking tracking spell on me and came out here and </span>
  <em>
    <span>attacked me</span>
  </em>
  <span>—“ said Harry angrily as his strength slowly began to return to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If I remember correctly, you’re the one who attacked first.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“—and you’re the Marauders’ psychopathic enemy!” Harry started to lunge forward—about to punch Riddle, or strangle him, or both—but his movements were stopped when Riddle reached over to cup his chin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sweetheart, calm down before you exhaust yourself further,” he spoke softly as his thumb ran over his jawline in a comforting manner. He didn’t seem at all bothered by Harry’s ire, instead looking rather amused at the situation. “I know you’re upset, but you need to listen to me.” His thumb then moved to press down gently on Harry’s lower lip, delighting in the way his eyes widened as his breath hitched ever so slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a huff, Harry conceded. He desperately wanted to fight back, but his wand was stuffed in the dark brunette’s pocket, and it was too soon to try to employ his wandless magic as he was still tired from the duel. Jerking his head free from Riddle’s grip he looked away and nodded slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle smiled at this and ran his hand through Harry’s hair as if saying ‘good boy’. While this should make him feel patronized, Harry couldn’t help but lean into the touch. It was only Riddle’s chuckle that made him pull away, as nice as it felt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, as I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, you’re not as different from me as you may think.” Harry rolled his eyes at that, but Riddle continued. “We may be on opposing sides, but we’re both destined for greatness, Harry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry had to hold back a laugh at the man’s dramatics. He really was crazy, wasn’t he? </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Destined for greatness’, yeah right</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Harry thought as he stared at the dark brunette. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s true,” said man continued, as if sensing Harry’s thoughts. “Like I said before, your magic is amazing all on its own, but when our magic is together, it is truly phenomenal.” The look on Riddle’s face was slightly unnerving to Harry, what with the wide grin and gleaming red eyes, but he couldn’t help but feel drawn to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can both feel it, even now,” the man said in a low voice, “and isn’t it just perfect?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle paused for a moment to grab ahold of Harry’s hands—which, surprisingly, Harry didn’t protest against. In fact, if Riddle wasn’t mistaken, he actually seemed to relax a bit with the touch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve seen how you fight, and you’re absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>brilliant</span>
  </em>
  <span>, love,” Riddle admitted as he squeezed Harry’s hands gently. “No one has come close to matching my power. No one, except </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry fidgeted under the lust-filled gaze the man was sending him. It was strange to receive such praise from Lord Voldemort of all people. This was a man who was ruthless and bowed down to </span>
  <em>
    <span>no one</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No one except Harry, apparently. And wasn’t that just hilarious?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man leaned in closer to him as Harry stared back defiantly. “Harry, you have no idea just how much potential you have. You deserve to be able to utilize the power you hold, not hide in the shadows.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle was getting even closer now, letting go of Harry’s hands in favor of cupping his face. Harry could feel his heart rate begin to speed up as he took in the man’s words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can give you the world, darling. I can help you on your way to greatness,” the dark lord promised. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but his eyes seemed to glow brighter as he spoke these words. It was truly intoxicating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry’s mouth parted in amazement at what Riddle said next. “We could thrive together in the world we’ll build. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Our empire</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man stood now, stretching a hand towards Harry’s sitting form in a silent offering. “Join me, Harry,” he said. Despite his voice being soft—gentle even—the sheer potency of his words was evident. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a moment of silence in which Harry could only stare up at Riddle in utter shock and bewilderment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man before him was insane and dangerous, but… why did his words intrigue him so much? Their magical connection was undeniably unique, and Harry couldn’t help but wonder how it would develop with time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He frowned as he stared at Riddle’s proffered hand. The man’s offer was irritatingly enticing, but as Harry remembered Sirius and the rest of his friends, he made up his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Standing up, he narrowed his eyes and steeled himself against Riddle’s laughably innocent expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go to hell,” Harry spat out and clenched his fists in irritation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A startled laugh met his ears. “Only if you come with me,” Riddle countered teasingly, taking his hand back. He didn’t seem all that bothered by the Gryffindor’s rejection, instead looking as if he had expected something along those lines.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry’s glare hardened as he got himself into a fighting position. He was ready to fight the man tooth and nail—despite still being a bit worn out from their prior dueling—in order to get his wand back, then he was going to get the hell out of there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was surprised, however, when Riddle simply smiled fondly, reaching into his robes pocket and pulling out… a ring?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell is that?” Harry growled, never leaving his position.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle laughed, and it shouldn’t have sounded as nice as it did. “This, my dear, is an item of great importance to me,” he said as he approached the irate Gryffindor, disregarding the latter’s sounds of protest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he held the ring up at eye level, Harry lowered his raised fists minutely as he inspected it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a dark black stone of some sort with a strange marking engraved upon it. It appeared to be a triangle with a circle and a line encased within it. The stone was set on an intricate golden ring, adding to its mysterious beauty. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry’s eyes flashed between the ring and Riddle’s face, brimming with curiosity but refusing to voice his questions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a family heirloom,” Riddle explained with a pleased smirk at seeing the apparent intrigue on Harry’s face. He strode forward, ignoring the man’s flinch at the movement, and took his hand once more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey-“ the dark haired man started to protest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Riddle immediately shushed him and gently unfolded his fist. “You don’t have to make a decision now, but in the meantime,” he paused to press the ring into Harry’s palm, then curled his fingers over it. “This is for you, darling.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span>-“ Harry’s argument was stopped with a dark glare.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It has several protective enchantments embedded in it, so as long as you are wearing it you will be guarded.” Riddle held up a hand in anticipation of what Harry was about to say. “I know that with your strength you will hardly need protection, but I wish to ensure your safety.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The dark lord took a moment to take in the image of a confused, yet defiant Harry, grinning at the way his eyes flashed with alertness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had a nice time with you tonight, but I believe I should let you get back to your beloved </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sirius.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Harry could tell Riddle was holding back a sneer at the name. “Think on what I’ve said, Harry, and should the need ever arise, I trust you will be able to find me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To Harry’s surprise—and embarrassing pleasure—Riddle leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, handing his wand back to him as he did so.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pulling back with one last smile, he said, “Until next time, my love.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The last thing Harry saw before the dark lord disapparted was those dark red eyes staring at him hungrily. A look that he knew would haunt him relentlessly in the days to come.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell had he gotten himself into?</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Into the Snake’s Den</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>we’re gonna pretend that I didn’t have really bad writer’s block for a month, bUT this chapter moves the plot along more so we can start to get into the development of Tom and Harry’s relationship in the next chapters ;)</p>
<p>I hope you like it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“I can give you the world, darling. I can help you on your way to greatness.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“We could thrive together in the world we’ll build. Our empire.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Join me, Harry.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The words Riddle had spoken to Harry the last time they met rang through his ears, overwhelming his senses in the pitch black atmosphere.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It was as if they were a flock of birds heading towards him, engulfing him, overtaking him—</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But then it stopped, silence now resounding throughout the area—an abrupt relief from the intense buzz from before.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Harry only had a moment to wonder what was going to happen next, before the last line was repeated.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Join me, Harry.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The words echoed loudly, racing around him. And then an image came into view.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>There was Lord Voldemort in all his glory, standing regally in the center of the only source of light in the area.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He looked just as he always did. Perfect posture, burgundy eyes gleaming, an easy smirk playing across his lips.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hello, Harry,” the man said, his voice clear in the now quiet ambience.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Harry approached him wordlessly, too fixated on the man’s lust filled gaze to do anything else. It was like a moth being drawn to a flame. To their own doom.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Once they were mere inches apart, Riddle took ahold of him by the shoulders, grinning dangerously. Harry reached up and wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, beginning to close the distance between them.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The two of them were leaning in closer, closer, closer, magic swirling around them.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>They were mere centimeters apart before Riddle seemed to grow impatient and finally pressed their lips together.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The desperation and infatuation for each other was clear as they both moved their lips fervently, never ceasing.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The kiss was heady and sensual and everything one would expect from a man like Riddle, but </span>
  </em>
  <span>oh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What was he doing? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He couldn’t do this. He needed to get away from this man. He needed to—</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry’s eyes snapped open with a start. His heart was pounding, his skin flushed. He ripped off his covers and sat up, breathing heavily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It was just a dream.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But… Why did it feel so real? So invigorating?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry let out a sigh and buried his face in his hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even in his sleep, that irritating bastard still managed to haunt him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Getting up, Harry turned on the light in his room and cast a </span>
  <em>
    <span>tempus.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It was currently 5 in the morning, so he had a couple hours before the sun rose, but after that dream it would be much too hard to try to get some more sleep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a glance at his bedside table, Harry’s eyes were immediately drawn to the ring that Riddle had given him. It looked so innocent sitting there with its black stone twinkling slightly in the dim lighting, yet it still held so many mysteries.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Immediately upon returning from his encounter with the dark lord, Harry had cast an array of spells upon the ring to check for any dark magic within it. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t seem to find anything suspicious, which was surprising considering it came from a man who had placed a spell on him just so he could stalk him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry rolled his eyes at the thought. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Creep.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite not finding anything that could potentially harm him within the ring, he still had yet to wear it. He was admittedly intrigued as to what the ring’s power entailed, but the thought of giving Riddle the satisfaction of him wearing it was irksome. There was no need to further inflate the man’s ego.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A flush quickly rose to Harry’s cheeks as the memory of the man came to the forefront of his mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, snap out of it,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought to himself as he tore his eyes away from the ring. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He needed to get Riddle out of his head, even if only for a minute. The man had used a damn spell to stalk him, and now he followed him into his thoughts and even dreams. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ridiculous.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He just needed a momentary distraction while he waited for the day to fully begin. A cold shower and then sitting down to read for a while would do the trick just fine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And he would definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> be thinking about Riddle and his annoyingly handsome smirk while doing so.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>A few hours later when Harry heard the telltale signs of Sirius waking up and preparing breakfast, he marked his spot in the book he had reading and headed downstairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning, Harry!” Sirius greeted when he saw Harry appear in the kitchen doorway. He painted quite a wholesome picture—cooking eggs and sausages for him and his godson, an apron tied around his waist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry couldn’t help but grin fondly at his godfather. It was a funny sight to see one of magical Britain’s most powerful gang leaders dressed in an apron with a chibi-style hippogriff printed on it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Morning, Sirius.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t long before a full plate of food was placed before Harry at the table, and the two began to eat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few minutes of eating in comfortable silence, Sirius cleared his throat and began to speak. “So, the Marauders have that exchange with Zabini and his men today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s right,” Harry replied and paused in eating to give the other man his full attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius gave Harry a slight smile before continuing. “I was thinking you could come with me and a few others. It shouldn’t be a terribly arduous task, but I thought you might like to get some fresh air today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry instantly brightened upon hearing Sirius’s suggestion. It was clear that his godfather was somewhat hesitant about Harry joining him, but it warmed his heart to know that Sirius really did trust him enough to be able to bring him into a dangerous meeting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d love to come,” Harry replied easily, shooting Sirius a grin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man’s face seemed to soften, the furrow between his eyebrows disappearing as he nodded. “We’ll leave around five, then.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry happily nodded his assent before going back to his meal, glad to finally be involved in the action once again.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t seem long before the time came for the two to get ready to head to the designated meeting spot. Harry had just fastened his robes and was putting his wand holster on his wrist when Sirius called up to him, asking if he was ready to leave. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Coming!” he replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a quick once over of his room to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, Harry was about to step out when he stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned to look to his right and spotted Riddle’s ring, still lying delicately on his nightstand. Harry’s eyes narrowed as he slowly approached it and reached out to gently trace his index finger along the gold circle. The ring seemed to hum pleasantly in response when he touched it, causing Harry to frown slightly in wonder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It couldn’t hurt to try wearing the ring once, could it? He didn’t necessarily need the extra protection given how capable he was at defending himself, but he might as well see if it lived up to Riddle’s claims about it…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck it, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry thought and carefully slid it over the index finger of his right hand. It looked nice, he supposed, but he didn’t want to dwell on the strange feeling it gave him whilst looking at it. He didn’t have the time to, anyway, because Sirius was calling to him again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What took you so long?” Sirius asked, although not with impatience, when Harry arrived downstairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, I was just making sure I had everything,” Harry answered, smiling briefly at Sirius before getting ready to apparate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Harry,” the man said, stopping Harry by grabbing him lightly by the forearm and giving him a bemused smile. “Is that a new ring?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Gryffindor froze in his spot, looking down to where his godfather was gesturing to, and then looking back at the man with a measured neutral expression. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah…,” Harry said slowly, hoping Sirius would believe what he was about to say, “I got it at a thrift store not too long ago.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The animagus nodded slightly, puzzled smile still intact. “Well, it looks nice on you,” he said, thankfully leaving it at that before he apparated, Harry quickly following suit.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Harry took a moment to steady himself against the wall of the nearest building as the world came into focus after his apparation. When he had managed to compose himself, he looked around to see that a few other Marauders had already arrived—including Hermione, Ron, and Ginny. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Marauders had brought several cursed artefacts along with them, each enclosed in cases surrounded with protective enchantments. It should be a quick “in and out” mission for them, but on the off chance that the deal didn’t go as well as they had hoped, they were prepared for any level of danger. Secretly, Harry hoped that something—even if it was minor—would happen so that he could try to test the ring’s abilities. But no one had to know that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is everyone here?” Sirius asked as he looked around at the group before him. His question was met with the mumbled affirmation of a few people, so he continued with his usual warnings that the Marauders must have heard thousands of times before. “Everyone keep your guard up. Zabini and his men usually aren’t very hostile, but be on the lookout for any danger. If anything happens, be sure to look out for each other.” The gang nodded in acknowledgement and began to head towards the exchange site not far away, wands carefully drawn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius clapped Harry on the shoulder before jogging slightly to be at the forefront of the pack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zabini’s gang mirrored Sirius’s, with Blaise at the front surrounded by his henchmen. There were wards drawn up around the area, but they were lowered momentarily to let the Marauders pass through after Sirius performed a spell that was meant to prove that they were who they appeared to be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Brief formalities were exchanged before the Marauders’ artefacts were handed over to be inspected by Zabini’s crew. The two groups were silent as a few people ran spells over the objects to make sure nothing harmful and unexpected popped out at them later. While this wasn’t inherently exciting, Harry was still glad to be there after usually being left at home during these exchanges. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t long before Zabini’s men seemed satisfied with the goods and their general safety. Blaise gestured behind him and a few of his men brought out a few trunks full of their payment. Sirius directed Lee Jordan along with Fred and George to do the same inspection process as the other gang had done to the money inside the trunks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everything seems to be in order,” Lee said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius was in the process of reaching out to shake Blaise’s hand to seal the deal, when the unmistakable sounds of apparation resonated throughout the area.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both groups immediately got into ready positions, instantly assessing the situation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Holy fuck,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ron groaned when he saw who had just appeared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Seamus said with an exasperated look on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There, just outside the wards, were a few of the members of the Death Eaters who began to break down the wards. They seemed to be led by Bellatrix and Lucius, who both had sick grins on their faces.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Death Eaters were known to raid exchanges such as this, so </span>
  <em>
    <span>of course</span>
  </em>
  <span> they had to be here to disturb the Marauders’ business once again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, I guess my wish for something interesting to happen came true, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry thought humorlessly as he grit his teeth and got ready to cast his first spell against the Death Eaters. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He noticed that Riddle wasn’t there with them—but then again, he rarely was. Harry decided to ignore the warm feeling of disappointment that filled his thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Soon, the wards tumbled down with a crashing sound and the Death Eaters approached slowly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dear cousin!” Bellatrix exclaimed shrilly. “Tell me, how is your arm?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius merely growled upon seeing the cruel smirk that seemed to cover about half of her face. The woman made a ‘hmmph’ noise at her cousin’s refusal to play, but continued to speak. “Hand us the money and the items and no one needs to get hurt,” she spoke to both Blaise and Sirius, but it was clear in the manic sparkle of her eyes that she wanted to hurt the opposing gangs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were interrupted by Blaise glancing at the Death Eaters then back to his own group, before quickly commanding his men to leave. Zabini and his group vanished along with the items they had just acquired, accompanied by a loud ‘pop’ signifying their departure. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cowards,” Harry grumbled to himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was only a moment’s pause before the remaining gangs’ fight commenced, spells flying left and right.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry immediately took action and began to fire both offence and protection spells at the Death Eaters who tried to approach and attack him. He actually found himself having a good time fighting the other gang. It was nothing compared to the way it felt dueling Riddle, but it was action regardless. His eyes seemed to light up and a grin spread across his face as he enjoyed the thrill of the battle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Marauders and Death Eaters were spread out all over the area, pretty evenly matched when it came to size. They were all fighting either one on one or in duos, the shouts and bursts of spells being fired effectively invading everyone’s ears. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed some of the less bold Death Eater members were hesitant to engage Harry in a duel, with the knowledge of how magically powerful he was. In fact, it was more Harry firing attacks at them than him having to defend himself. He had even forgotten about the ring on his finger at this point. That was, until Bellatrix came over to have her sick idea of fun with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wittle baby Hawwy,” the dark haired woman cooed when she came bounding over, making Harry cringe. “Sirius finally let you out, did he?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Harry spat out. He fired a hex at the woman, which was foiled by a shield. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman let out a cackle and pouted teasingly. “Aww, wittle lion is angry,” she said in a singsong voice, sticking her tongue out at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry gave her a menacing glare as he raised his wand high, a powerful offensive spell on his lips. He hesitated, however, when Bellatrix gasped loudly, staring at a point above his head. He was about to ask what the hell she was looking at, when he looked up and saw—oh. The stone of Riddle’s ring twinkled brightly, drawing the other’s attention to it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>WHERE DID YOU GET THAT, BOY?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Bellatrix shrieked excruciatingly. Her eyes were wide in unrestrained fury, and she looked absolutely murderous. The sound of her yelling made Harry wince slightly, which was unfortunate as the angered woman took the chance to tackle him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>That ring is the Dark Lord’s!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Bellatrix hissed with as much venom in her tone as possible. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You fucking THIEF!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> It was then that she pulled out a sharp black dagger and pressed it to Harry’s neck. She began to dig it in, and Harry was afraid she was about to slit his throat. Everything was happening so fast, he couldn’t think straight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had just started to raise his wand, when he felt the ring thrumming around his finger. Although it happened quickly, it wasn’t any less mesmerizing. In a flash that resembled lightning, Bellatrix was thrown off of Harry by the ring’s power, flying several feet away and landing in a heap on the ground. Harry couldn’t be sure if she was still alive or not, but he couldn’t be bothered to care, for he was still shocked by the display of power the ring had shown.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ring seemed to buzz, not only around his finger, but around his entire body as well. The magic within it was, much to Harry’s chagrin, unmistakably </span>
  <em>
    <span>Riddle’s. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry thought with reluctance, </span>
  <em>
    <span>he certainly wasn’t lying about the ring.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His thoughts were broken when he stood up and his ears were met with Ginny’s scream for help. His eyes flashed with alertness and he quickly rushed over to the ginger haired girl. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he got to her, she was lying on the ground unconscious with a Death Eater hovering over her in triumph. Dolohov, Harry thought his name was. But it didn’t matter because he fired a strong spell at him without a second thought, effectively wounding him and driving him away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once Dolohov was gone, Harry immediately dropped to Ginny’s side and checked to make sure she wasn’t in any immediate danger. She was still alive, but she was clearly wounded and covered in several deep scratches.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Sirius!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Harry called out once he spotted the man in the midst of a battle with a female Death Eater, George by his side. “Ginny’s hurt!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius’s eyes widened and he dealt one last blow to the Death Eater before he and George came running over. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We need to leave and get her taken care of,” Sirius said urgently. “Go tell the others,” he directed to George, who nodded and ran off to follow his orders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The long haired man then picked Ginny up carefully and nodded at Harry before disapparating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry stayed behind for a while to help the other Marauders finish up their duel and make sure they got out safely. Once everyone was able to get away, he disapparated along with them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry arrived at the Burrow—where he presumed Sirius had taken Ginny—and immediately headed inside. His assumptions were correct, as he saw Mrs. Weasley worriedly tending to her daughter as Sirius stayed out of the way, a concerned look on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will she be okay?” Harry asked straight away, moving towards Ginny’s unconscious form laying on the sofa. Her breathing was steady, but the gashes scattered over her body were still bleeding profusely. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mrs. Weasley was about to answer when Hermione bustled in from the front door, gasping when she saw what had happened to Ginny. She made quick work of muttering some sort of charm unknown to him and moving her wand over Ginny’s wounds. Harry watched, transfixed, as the cuts began to clear up and close. It was a good thing Hermione was experienced with healing magic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hermione sighed in relief when the process was over and stepped back to let Mrs. Weasley clean up the residual blood with a damp washcloth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’ll be alright,” Hermione sighed with a tense nod, eyes refusing to leave Ginny. “She just needs rest and some potions once she wakes.” She turned her head to look at Harry and grimaced. “That was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>horrible </span>
  </em>
  <span>spell that Death Eater used on her. Sectumsempra. It’s a good thing you were able to get to her quickly, Harry, or else… I’m afraid she wouldn’t have made it.” She chewed her bottom lip and Harry could tell she was holding back tears just thinking about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry frowned at the thought. He loved Ginny. Not in the way she wanted him to, but he loved her nonetheless. He couldn’t bear to lose her—especially not like this. She had survived this time, but it could happen again just as easily. To any of them—a thought Harry couldn’t bear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hermione’s hand coming to rest on his shoulder brought him back to reality. “It’s okay, Harry. Everything’s fine,” she assured both him and herself, always able to read his thoughts without him having to say them aloud.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>For now,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Harry thought to himself, but offered her a tired smile and nod.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I’m going to go back home and get some sleep,” he said to Sirius, who nodded with a grimace. He was definitely going to have to endure another one of Mrs. Weasley’s scoldings tonight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry walked back over to Ginny and bent down, taking her hand in his and pressing his lips to it gently. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Everything’s fine.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Afterwards, he clapped Sirius on the shoulder and hugged Hermione before going outside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stood in the garden for a while, green eyes turned upwards to the starry night sky. It was so peaceful. Too peaceful, given what had happened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry had almost lost someone dear to him, and for what? </span>
  <em>
    <span>A stupid gang rivalry. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sure, Harry knew what he was getting into when he joined the Marauders. All of them did. But the fighting between the Marauders and Death Eaters was a never ending loop. And it wasn’t even worth it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How many more times would they have to risk their lives whilst battling those crazed witches and wizards before someone got seriously injured again like Ginny?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It could happen to Ron, or Hermione, or Dean, Fred, George, or </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sirius. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The only fatherly figure he had left in his life. Harry’s heart lurched at the thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Things needed to change once and for all. They couldn’t keep pointlessly clashing like this. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Harry needed to do something.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, thinking different solutions over in his head. But in the end, he knew only one thing could work. He groaned internally just thinking about it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he had to do it. He had to do it for </span>
  <em>
    <span>them.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a shaky sigh and his eyes still closed, Harry concentrated hard on the spell that Riddle had placed on him, feeling it tremble within him. It took a moment, but eventually Harry’s efforts worked and he knew exactly where to go.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He spared one last longing glance back at the Burrow, and then he disapparated. </span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>When Harry arrived at his destination, he took a moment to take in his surroundings. It seemed he arrived in the middle of the drawing room of some sort of mansion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were several paintings of elderly witches and wizards on the walls—some of them snoozing, some staring right at him, and others bustling about within their frames. There was also a large fireplace, although it wasn’t lit since the weather was already quite warm, and a couple armchairs facing it. On the far side of the room, there were a few bookshelves filled with texts that looked like they were on the verge of falling apart. Next to them was a large desk, and behind it sat… Riddle. And his stupid smirking face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Harry,” Riddle’s face split into a wide grin, “fancy seeing you here.” The man stood up gracefully then, and Harry was reminded of how tall he was. The git. “I must say I’m quite pleased to see you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was approaching Harry slowly now, and the Gryffindor had to fight the urge to step backwards away from his slightly intimidating stature. The whole room was filled with the man’s now familiar magical aura, which almost comforted Harry for reasons he chose not to think about. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“May I ask what brought you here tonight, my love?” Riddle continued, eyes flashing with hardly restrained glee. “Not that I am not </span>
  <em>
    <span>delighted </span>
  </em>
  <span>that you’re here. Because make no mistake, darling, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” And it was obvious that he was. The bastard didn’t even bother to try and hide it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>If he were a dog, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry mused, </span>
  <em>
    <span>his tail would be wagging as we speak. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And wouldn’t that be a hilarious sight? Harry had to hold back the urge to laugh at that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead, he schooled his features to remain neutral as he gathered his Gryffindor courage. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He was here for a reason. </span>
  </em>
  <span>With a deep breath and steely determination in his eyes, he spoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m here to make a deal.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Harry: I’m only here because I want to put an end to this stupid rivalry, not because you’re ridiculously hot!</p>
<p>Tom: Mhm… ;)</p>
<p>Harry: sfvgekwrhj stOP SMIRKING! &gt;:(</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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